Trump Briefed on Iranian Assassination Threats Amid Elections

Donald Trump was briefed by U.S. intelligence officials on specific Iranian plots to assassinate him, marking heightened threats. Security measures are underway to protect him. Iran denied involvement in American affairs. Attempts to target Trump arose amidst cyber operations allegedly launched by Iran, influencing the U.S. elections.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was briefed on Tuesday by U.S. intelligence officials on alleged threats from Iran to assassinate him, Trump's campaign said. "President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States," the campaign said in a statement.

The campaign said intelligence officials identified that Iranian threats have "heightened in the past few months" and U.S. government entities are working to protect Trump and ensure the elections remain unaffected. Trump later posted on his Truth Social site about the "big threats" on his life by Iran, noting their previous failures but emphasizing their persistence.

Iran has denied U.S. claims of meddling in American affairs. Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to a request for comment late Tuesday. An ODNI spokesperson acknowledged the briefing but refrained from delving into specifics.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani man with connections to Iran pleaded not guilty to plotting the assassination of an American politician, in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. The defendant named Trump as a potential target, but there was no clear evidence of an assassination plan targeting Trump, according to insider sources.

Federal authorities are also investigating an apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf course in mid-September and a separate shooting at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. There's no indication of Iranian involvement in these incidents. U.S. agencies stated last week that Iranian hackers sent emails containing stolen information from Trump's campaign to individuals associated with Democratic President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign to influence the election.

Biden exited the election race in late July, succeeded by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who now faces Trump in a tightly contested race for the Nov. 5 U.S. elections. In August, the U.S. accused Iran of launching cyber operations against both presidential campaigns. Iran dismissed the accusations.

Iran contends that the U.S. has interfered in its affairs for decades, citing examples from a 1953 coup to the 2020 drone strike that killed its military commander.

(With inputs from agencies.)